Bacterial infections remain the leading cause of death in developing nations, accounting for an estimated 40% of deaths (Ivnitski D et al. (1999) Biosens Bioelectron 14:599-624). For instance, the strain O157:H7 of E. coli is considered to be one of the most dangerous food borne pathogens (Buchanan R L, et al. (1997) Food Technol 51:69-76 and Jay J M ed. (1992) in Modern food microbiology. (Van Nostrand Reinhold, N.Y.)). In developed countries, bacterial contamination is also of critical concern, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry, where the most reliable test for contamination is the detection of endotoxins with horseshoe crab blood (Walls E A, Berkson J, Smith S A (2002) Rev Fish Sci 10:39-73). Microbial infections and drug-resistant supergerms are also a leading cause of military deaths, particularly in soldiers with burn injuries, and are considered potential biowarfare agents (Compton J A F (1987) in Military chemical and biological agents: Chemical and toxicological properties. (Telford press, Caldwell, N.J.) pp: 458, Malcolm D ed. (1994) in Biological Warfare in the 21st Century. (Brassey's, UK):258, and D'Avignon L C, et al (Jan. 13, 2010) Contribution of bacterial and viral infections to attributable mortality in patients with severe burns: An autopsy series. Burns).
While containment strategies such as vaccination and “broadband” antibiotic usage in hospitals have helped reduce the severity of bacterial infections, these strategies have also inadvertently promoted the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Thus, the development of a sensor that can detect the presence of an infectious outbreak from a broad spectrum of pathogenic species would be desirable. It would be especially desirable if the sensor was scalable so that it could be used in nearly every situation where monitoring is desired, including the laboratory, in the field at the source of potential infection, and on or inside animals, including humans, that many be exposed to infection.